'Major' COVID-19 Reopening In NJ: Here's What's Planned

NEW JERSEY — New Jersey is set to remove many coronavirus restrictions, with areas such as restaurants, retail, amusement parks and personal care services getting a boost soon.

As part of a coordinated effort involving New York, New Jersey and Connecticut governors announced Monday, capacity limits at restaurants, stores, offices and other areas of life are set to be lifted by May 19 in the tri-state area, according to New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo.

"This means that the events that we all associate with a summer, from fireworks displays to parades to the state fair, can all go forward as long as attendees are keeping 6 feet of distance," Gov. Phil Murphy said. "Should the CDC ... revise its 6-foot distancing guidance, we will revise our requirements accordingly."

Here are the areas set to be affected by the new restriction lift:

• Restaurants
• Museums
• Theaters
• Food service
• Houses of worship
• Broadway
• Retail
• Pools
• Hair salons/barber shops
• Amusement parks
• Gyms

Murphy also announced the following on Monday:

• Capacity limits on outdoor gatherings – meaning, parties and events – will also be removed starting May 19. All attendees or groups will be required to keep social distances of at least 6 feet. Current mask requirements remain.
• Limits on indoor gatherings – meaning, parties and events – will jump from 25 to 50 people on May 19.
• The prohibition on indoor bar-side seating will be lifted May 7, Murphy said. Social distancing is still expected in bars, either with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's 6-foot requirement or physical partitions.

The governor also announced that a slew of reopenings set for May 10 will now be moved up to May 7, including:

• Large-venue outdoor capacity: The maximum capacity allowed will increase to 50 percent for venues with 1,000 fixed seats or more, as long as 6 feet of distance is maintained, up from 30 percent capacity for venues with a 2,500 fixed-seating capacity.
• Increase in maximum capacity for certain indoor activities: Currently, indoor catered events are limited to 35 percent of the capacity of the room in which they are held, up to 150 persons. The capacity limit for those events, including proms, will be raised to 50 percent, up to a maximum of 250 individuals. The capacity limit for indoor political events, weddings, funerals, memorial services, and performances will also increase accordingly.
• Dance floors at private catered events: Dance floors would be permitted to open at such events, with masking and social distancing requirements in place. Dance floors would remain closed at bars and other related businesses, such as nightclubs.
• Permit carnivals and fairs to operate at the amusement business capacity: Currently, these events may be treated like a gathering, and thus subject to more-restrictive limits. Carnivals and fairs may now operate at the same capacity as large outdoor amusements.
• Buffets: The restriction on self-service food, such as buffets, at restaurants, would be lifted, but individuals will still be required to remain seated while eating and drinking.

"We feel confident in moving up this timetable by three days given the accelerated progress we are seeing in our vaccination program and hospital metrics and lower daily case counts," Murphy said.

This is a developing story. Patch will have more information as it comes in.

Restaurants and bars are currently operating at 50 percent capacity for indoor dining, excluding employees (there are no numeric capacity limitations on outdoor dining). Banquet halls can host private events at 35 percent of the room capacity or 150 persons.

Murphy has cited increased statewide vaccination efforts and public health data “decisively trending in the right direction” as reasons to lift the pandemic-related restrictions. As of Monday, over 3 million New Jerseyans are fully vaccinated, with 4.2 million having received at least one dose of the vaccine.

“With our COVID-19 numbers, particularly hospitalizations, trending decisively in the right direction and our vaccination goals within reach, now is the time to take major steps to reopen our economy and loosen both indoor and outdoor gathering and capacity restrictions,” Murphy said.

“We’ve done this the right way, in partnership with our neighboring states of New York and Connecticut, and by allowing data, science and public health to guide our decision-making. Over these next few weeks, I encourage all remaining eligible New Jerseyans to get vaccinated so we can continue fighting back against this virus and move toward a ‘new normal’ for ourselves, our neighbors, and our loved ones.”